Pagina's

Today Elsevier (NL) reports that Iraqi asylum-seekers that were scheduled for a return to Iraq will stay, on orders of the European Human Rights Court. The courts decision is a temporary one, with a definitive ruling expected in three weeks.

Earlier, a motion in Second chamber to allow the Iraqis to stay didn't carry (NL), with a majority of 73 votes against 70 voting against the motion.

Now, I am not commenting on the wisdom (or not) of sending back these asylum-seekers. I don't know enough about the particulars to offer any meaningful opinion on the issue.

I would, however, like to note that the decision was made in parliament, through established procedure in a properly democratic way. There was a proper vote, the votes were properly counted and the minister was told by parliament to proceed. But then the defeated minority steered the EHRC to step in and subvert the democratic process. And both the minister and parliament, without any protest, rolled over and submitted.

That little episode shows you who our real masters are. Any pretence of being a sovereign, independent nation is just that: pretension. So, the question is now: What are we going to do?